Conducting Current in Open Air

Sometimes, I may move into open air spaces, classroom spaces, and street park seats whenever the workspace provided for me becomes unbearable. The openness of a workspace to air may supply fresh stimulants for creative thought and observation.

Oftentimes well meaning colleagues, who sight me working out of an open classroom or space, stop to check on me. Why would you leave the comfort of a cosy cubicle to cleave to the exposure and potential disturbance posed by such a busy intersection? Whenever the questioner is patient enough to receive an answer, I simply retort that my office is not conducive. Otherwise, all that a quizzically looking passerby may get is a signature smile.

Truth be told, working from a relatively poorly-lit and poorly-ventilated cubicle, with trapped air simply processed by air conditioning units may not be ideal for an idea generator. In addition to recycled air, scents and odours, noise and chatter are trapped in such office spaces. Reacting to the need for utmost concentration, a research assistant who once worked in such a space brought ear plugs and locked the door to incessant interruptions.

Contrariwise, in the absence of overwhelming emissions, the free flow in an open square is more healthy for consumption and stress-reducing. Moreover, daylight complements light bulbs that may be provided in an open space. 

As my custom is, I respond to everyday experiences and informally sampled opinions by conducting some research into such phenomena. When I eventually got into the empirical literature, I found that my concern was broadly observed as indoor environmental quality. Preliminary findings from my survey research reveal a wide range of coping strategies used by other co-workers.

During workspace design, the nature of work activities to be carried out by potential occupiers should be paramount. For example, meeting spaces can be made open to air and noise-proof glass enclosures may serve workers that require concentration. Also, accessibility to alternate environments and flexibility to switch spaces were deemed pertinent.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons